Touring a Milwaukee Bicycle Paint Shop with an Artist

I had the honor of dining with an artist the other night. No, he doesn't work with clay or charcoal. He works exlusively with paint. His works are rolling through the streets of America right now. Yes, you could say that his works of art are mobile. He is probably the the best bike painter Wisconsin has ever seen. How do I know this? Let me rewind to our pre dinner conversation to give you an idea of how much this guy cares about his work.

We first stopped at his house for a pre dinner drink. He lives in a Milwaukee flat that is tastefully decorated with a mix of 50's furnishings, and vintage skateboards. He had just come home from his shop and was still a bit stressed from his day. When he spoke up about it, he mentioned that he was unhappy with the way that a final clear coat had gone on to one of the bike frames he had in his shop. Later, when I had the chance to see what he was talking about, my untrained eyes saw nothing wrong. He pointed to a couple of spots on the frame, where the down tube meets the seat tube. I didn't pretend to see what he saw, and I trusted him when he said that there was something wrong. He would never let that slide, and the frame was slated for a redo on Monday morning. When he explaind what it would take to fix the problem, I understood a bit more of what he was up against. Nothing leaves his shop until he's happy. Artists can be that way.

Wisconsin may have a short summer season, but some of the most die hard bicyclists will tough it out and ride all year long. He's one of those guys. When we drove with him to the restaurant, our route included a portion of his daily commute. He pointed out the bike lane to my right in a tone that you use when you talk about your pet, or your lover. Milwaukee could use more bike lanes, and people that speak so fondly of them. He's not one of those guys that partakes in the annual Milwaukee Bike race. He's just a huge fan of things on two wheels. Some lucky bike rider will be rolling on that frame he cared so much about, not knowing that this artist just couldn't let it leave his shop until he was satsified. Yes, some things are still made with love and care.